A pair of electrical connectors, such as male and female or plug and receptacle connectors, are often secured together in a mated condition by some form of a latch structure. One type of latching structure is a bail-type latch. A bail latch is a generally U-shaped wire formed somewhat as an elongated 180.degree. loop defined by a pair of spaced leg portions with upper ends joined by a bight portion and lower ends pivotally mounted to the base of a connector housing. The spaced leg portions overlie laterally-spaced upstanding opposite sides of the connector housing, and the bail latch is pivotally movable between an outwardly extending open position allowing mating of the connectors and an inwardly extending latched position embracing the complementary mating connector. Bail latches typically are formed wire structures.
Electrical connectors which use bail latches of the character described have certain deficiencies at various times either during their shipping and handling or during their actual use. For instance, when the electrical connector is not mated to a complementary connector, some bail latches are loose and can move relative to the connector housing during shipment and handling as well as during assembly of the connector for eventual use, such as when mounting the connector on a printed circuit board. Another problem is that the bail latches typically do not have any means to specifically define the outwardly extending open position of the latch. This can cause over-stressing of the latch as well as make manual manipulation of the latch cumbersome. A further problem involves the assembly of the bail latches to the connector housing. Typically, two bail latches are employed, one at each opposite end of the housing. The bail latches often do not include any polarizing structure to prevent attempts to mount the bail latches at incorrect orientations relative to the housing. Still further, some electrical connectors are designed to mate with different electrical connectors, the mating connectors having different configurations and/or sizes. Heretofore, the bail latches had to be configured or sized for each individual configuration or size of mating connector.
The present invention is directed to providing a unique bail latch construction which solves every one of the problems listed above with prior art bail-type latches.